| Pigeon Peak | |
| Elevation Ft: | 13978 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] [2] |
| Prominence Ft: | 1152 |
| Isolation Mi: | 1.49 |
| Range: | San Juan Mountains, br/>Needle Mountains |
| Location: | La Plata County, Colorado, U.S. |
| Map: | Colorado |
| Coordinates: | 37.6325°N -107.6462°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [3] |
| Topo: | USGS 7.5' topographic map Snowdon Peak, Colorado |
| Easiest Route: | Northwest slope: scramble, |
Pigeon Peak, elevation 13978feet, is a summit in the Needle Mountains, a subrange of the San Juan Mountains in the southwestern part of the US State of Colorado. It rises dramatically on the east side of the Animas River, 1.5miles west of the fourteener Mount Eolus. It is located in the Weminuche Wilderness, part of the San Juan National Forest.
Pigeon Peak is notable both for its absolute height and for its local relief. It is the 57th highest independent peak in Colorado,[4] [5] narrowly missing the well-known list of fourteeners. In terms of local relief, it is one of the most impressive peaks in Colorado. Its most dramatic rise is over the Animas River to the west, over which it rises nearly 6000feet in under 2.5miles. Also, its east face is an 800feet cliff.[6]
Since Pigeon Peak is not a fourteener, it sees far less traffic than the nearby trio of Mount Eolus, Windom Peak and Sunlight Peak. The standard route is not technically difficult, but it is long and requires a little-hiked wilderness approach. Climbers typically camp near Ruby Lake north of the peak. From there the route ascends to a saddle between Pigeon Peak and Turret Peak, southwest of Pigeon. The route then descends and makes a traverse around to the opposite side of the peak, finally ascending the northwest slopes.[5] Difficulties involve class 3 scrambling.[7]